selley



No. smoes. N Patented Aug. 3o, |898. F. w. sELLEY L w. H. msBET.

SLACK ADJ USTER.

(Application led Sept. 2, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

yzfnesses No. 6103095. Patented Aug. 30,1898.

F. W. SELLEY & W. H. NISBET.

SLACK ADJUSTER.

(Application filed Sept. 2, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

MSN

wtf-ssrn v w W. ha,

UNITED STATES PATENT OTTICE.

FREDERICK VILLIAM SELLEY, OF ENMORE, AND WILLIAM HOLMES NllSBET,

OF SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES.

SLACK-ADJUSTER.

SPECIFICATION. fprmingpartof Letters Patentivo; clopes, qateiAuguS/ 3o, 1898.

Application fiia september 2,1897. sentire. 650,397. "montana gineer, residingat Martin Place, Sydney, in

the British Colony of New South Wales, subjects ofthe Queen of Great Britain, have inventedk new and useful Improvements in Slack-Adjusters for Brake-Gears of Railway VIO Rolling-Stock, of L which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly tocertain improvements in this kind of slack-adj usters for brake-gears `of railway rollingstock for and in respect of which we have obtained Letters Patent in ,theA United States of America, dated the 23d day of March, 1897, and numbered 579,369.

These present improvements consist, first, in combining together as one` integer the pawl-actuating rocking lever and a cover or box for the paWl and for the ratchet-nut on the pull-rod-screw connectiong" secondly, in the particular combination of said rockinglever pawl and ratchet-nut'with the pull-rod screw and with the nut-boxer bridle; thirdly, in the substitution for the I'ixed fulcrum or pivot for the bell-crank lever or adjusting lever of an adjustable pivot or fulcrum, whose distance; from the nut-box or bridle may be altered or adjusted quickly and easily, so that the slack-adjuster may be made to standard sizes and adjusted to l suit =different brakes; fourthly, in the substitution for a fixed attachment on the rocking lever for the links or cord from the bell-crank or actuating lever of an adjustable attachment, whose distance from the center may bequickly and easily altered, so as to facilitate such adjustment, as beforementioned, to different brakes; iifthly, in the combination and arrangement, with the combined lever land pawl-box and a cover therefor, of a trying pintle or pin on the pawl, and, sixthly, in the peculiar combination or joint connection fof the screw pull-rod with the brake truss or beam, so that said truss or beam will centrally articulate and so adapt itself as to give equal pressure on either side of the vehicle, no `matter to what extent the brake-blocks may be worn; butin order that this invention may be clearly understood ref# erence will now be made with, in which- Figure l is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 an ent referred to, and then those parts whichv form these presentimprovements will be further described.` f j v,The double brake-lever A' is geared or connected to the piston-rod of the cylinder of a pressure or-other brake.' The suspensionrods B carry the fulcrum-pin A' of said lever A, whoselower endshave connection to the nut-boxorbridle C,fwhich' carries female screw or nut fE,`adapted to be revolved, as hereinafterdescribed. This nut-box or bri- `dlerecei'vesfthe screwed end G of pull-rod G, which has rainjand dust cover G9 and is articulated to the end or bight of lthe brake truss orbeam J. The lower ends of double brake-lever A have each of them an outwardlypoint-ing pin or pintleAz, which fits orifices about midway of the length of the box C, which thus insures that said box C partakes of the samemotion as the lower part of said lever A. Connected to said box C and to the fulcrum-pin A' of Isaid lever A is a bell--crank D, whose upper end is slotted and takes on said fulcrum-pin A', whose angle has a fulcrum on the pin C', supported by boxfC, and

whose other endis linked by links D to end F' of a double-ended rocking lever, whose other end F2 is connected, by means of spring F3, to hook stanchion or support F4, taking in socket C2 on box C, (or said end F2 might be resiliently connected tothe underframing of the vehicle.) j The boss F of this doubleended rocking lever rides in or on journal E3 on end of box or bridle C, and it is enlarged to the drawings here- Ioo E and forms a cavity or pawl-box G3. The nut or female screw E, which is screwed upon the pull-rod G of the brake truss or beam J, is retained in place in nut-box or bridle C free to revolve by means of journal E3 and screwnut E4, fitting behind said journal. The pawl FX is carried by said lever F in the pawlbox G3 and engages with ratchet E around the nut E. Now in operation the brake-lever A, moving on fulcrum A in suspension-rods B in applying the brakes, will, if there be any slackness in the connections caused by wear of the brake-blocks or otherwise, so move the position of fulcrum A relative to nut-box C and pin C as to give motion to bell-crank lever D, causing it, by means of links D', to rock the double-ended rocking lever F against the resilient force of spring F3. The pawl FX is thus caused to travel backwardly over one or more of the teeth of ratchet E', so that when the brake is released said spring F3, returning the lever F to its normal position, said pawl FX will partially revolve nut E on the screw of the pull-rod G and so shortening the length of the pull-rod will adjust or take up the slack of the connections.

It will be seen that the lever F is constructed integral with the pawl-box G3, which has circular periphery and which has a cover G4,

said latter being kept in position by split pins G6, through lugs or pintles G5, and having a slot G7, through which protrudes a handle or pin F7 from the pawl FX, so that the pawl may be tested and be actuated by hand,.when desired. The said pawl FX is carried by said box G3 on pin or stud GX.

The ratchet-nut E passes through the head of box or bridle C, screwing on screw G of rod G, and it is kept in position by nut E4 on its end. The box G3 fits over the end of bridle C, with a lap, as at G8, for keeping out dust and is also held in its position by the screwing up of the nut E4,

The fulcrum or pin C is carried on the end of screw C3, which passes through two female screws in lugs A3 and has a jam-nut A4, so that upon loosening said nut A4 and revolving the screw C3 the position of said fulcrum or pin C would be adjusted as desired.

The links D have slotted parts D3, which will pass through the jaws of the attachments while the other parts will not, and thus these links are secured against danger of being misplaced or lost. Theattachment H takes through a slot in the end F of the rocking-lever pawl-box and is adjustable by reason of the corrugated surface, into which a rib or ribs on its washer H may be tightly fastened by screw-nut H2. Said corrugations and the rib or ribs might of course be on the jaw side of the attachment instead of on the nut side.

The pull-rod G is articulated to the braketruss J by a joint-pin J The rod G terminates in a knuckle-joint on pin J to a yoke J 2, which takes around the bight or angle J4 of the beam or truss connection J to the brakeblocks, which angle-piece J4 is fastened by pin J 3by its tail J 5 through the yoke J 2. It will be seen that the articulation and specially having the two j oint-pins will allow the beam or truss J to adapt itself to any inequalities of its resistance when the brake is applied.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim isl. In a brake-gear slack-adjuster, the combination with suspension-rods and the brakelever fulcrumed thereon, of the nut-box or bridlecarried by the brake-lever, a threaded pull-rod passing through said nut-box or bridle and connected to the brake-beam, a nut engaging the threaded end of the pull-rod and having formed thereon a ratchet, a rocking lever fulcrumed on the end of the nutbox or bridle and having formed integrally therewith a box or casing inclosing said ratchet-nut, a removable cover for said box or casing, a pawl pivoted in said boxA and engaging said ratchet, a pivoted bellcrank lever movably connected at one end to the fulcrum of the brake-lever and at its other end to one end of the rocking lever, and a spring attached to the other end of the rocking lever and operating to rock said lever in a direction opposite to the bell-crank lever, substantially as described.

2. In a brake-gear slack-adjuster, the combination with suspension-rods and the brakelever fulcrumed thereon, of the nut-box or bridle carried by the brake-lever, a threaded pull-rod passing through said nut-box or bridle and connected to the brake-beam, a nut engaging the threaded end of the pull-rod and having formed thereon a ratchet bearing against the end of the nut-box or bridle, a rocking lever fulcrumed on the end of the nut-box or bridle and provided with a pawl engaging said ratchet, a screw adjustably threaded in supports carried by the nut-box or bridle, a bell-crank lever pivoted upon the upper end of said screw, said bell-crank lever being movably connected at one end to the fulcrum of the brake-lever and at its other end connected to one end of the rocking lever, and a spring attached to the other end of the rocking lever and operating to rock said lever in a direction opposite to the bell-crank lever, substantially as described.

3. In a brake-lever slack-adjuster, the combination with suspension-rods and the brakelever fulcrumed thereon, of a nut-box or bridle carried by the brake-lever, a threaded pull-rod passing through said nut-box or bridle and connected to the brake-beam, a nut engaging the threaded end of the pull-rod and having formed thereon a ratchet bearing lagainst the end of the nut-box or bridle, a Irocking lever fulcrumed on the end of. the nut-box or bridle and having formed integrally therewith a box or casing inclosing IOO IIO

said ratchet, a pivoted pawl arranged in said the rocking lever in a direction opposite to the Io box and in engagement With said ratchet, a bell-crank lever, substantially as described. pin carried by said pawl and projecting Dated this 17th day of June, 1897.

through a curved slot in the cover of the box, 4 T i a pivoted bell-crank lever carried by the nut- LEY' box or bridle and movably connected at one l end to the fulcrum of the brake-lever and Witnesses: connected at its other end to one end of the FRED WALSH, rocking lever, and a spring operating to rock A. W. NEAL. 

